Pregnancy isn't always planned
If you are worried that you have had unprotected sex and your period is late or lighter than usual, don’t panic! First things first: Find out if you are pregnant. You need to know as soon as possible whether or not you are pregnant. If your period is seven days late or more then do a pregnancy test as soon as possible.
You can get a pregnancy test from:
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Any chemist/ pharmacy at a cost of approximately £10. Some pharmacists will do the test for you or you can take it home and do it yourself.
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A Family Planning Clinic; it will be done free of charge and you will have an immediate result with support and advice.
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A Sexual Health or GUM Clinic may offer free pregnancy testing and advice and support.
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Some GPs provide a free pregnancy testing service.
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Voluntary youth agencies, such as YAC and YPC in Brighton have trained staff who will do a pregnancy test for you.
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A school nurse can give advice and support on pregnancy issues, they can also signpost you to a professional who can offer free confidential pregnancy testing. Find out what your school nurse can offer.
If the test is negative you will need another test the following week if your period has still not started. If you are NOT pregnant, seek medical advice about a reliable method of contraception to avoid future worries.
A positive result: Facing an unplanned pregnancy:
Shocked. Scared. Panicked. Confused. Embarrassed. Lonely. These are just some of the emotions you may feel if you have discovered you are pregnant and it wasn’t planned. Of course, some people may feel happy and excited about it too. If you have done a home test that shows you are pregnant, you should make an appointment with your GP or at your local family planning clinic to have it confirmed and to talk through your options. They will understand what you are going through and will not pressure you into any decision. Don’t put off asking for help – the further the pregnancy progresses, the fewer options you will have. Decide what to do. Take time to think about the options. You may decide:
- That you will continue with the pregnancy and keep the baby.
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That you will request an abortion to terminate the pregnancy.
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That you will continue with the pregnancy and have the baby adopted.
Try and confide in someone. It may need courage, but talk to your partner, your parents or carers or friends. Reactions may vary and may depend on age, cultural or religious backgrounds. Even if there is upset initially, your partner, family and friends will usually help you think about what you can do – and support you through your decision.Pregnancy Counselling is another option, Counsellors are often employed by Family Planning Clinics and Youth Agencies. Pregnancy counselling means talking about your situation and feelings with someone who can help you make sense of things. The doctor or counsellor will not judge you. They will listen – and support you to find the way forward that feels right for you. Whatever you say is treated as confidential. Stopover Outreach is a local service which can offer young women aged 16-19 one to one support and advice on many issues, including pregnancy, contact Stopover Outreach on 01273 725340.
You have the right to decide for yourself. Don’t allow anyone to tell you what to do. Don’t let them assume that they know what is best for you. You have to live with your decision. Professionals are there to give you information to help you make up your own mind.
Private and Confidential
Anyone (including those under 16) has the right to consent to medical treatment, including abortion. Anything discussed with a health professional will be kept confidential, they will not tell anyone else about what has been discussed, although they will encourage you to talk to your parents or carers for support. If you are unsure, phone a service / GPs anonymously and ask if they offer confidential appointments. Try this ‘My best friend thinks she may be pregnant. Do you do pregnancy tests, and give confidential pregnancy counselling?’ If they say yes, you can go ahead and make an appointment, If they say no, you can find somewhere else that does offer a confidential service. If your GP does not offer pregnancy tests or pregnancy counselling, then they should suggest another doctor who could help. You can usually go to a GP in another practice for a pregnancy test or pregnancy counselling without actually changing your main doctor. You would need to check first, as not all GPs will see patients from other practices for contraceptive or pregnancy advice.
The Law:
If a man makes a woman pregnant, he may feel he has a right to be informed and involved. But in law, he has no right to be informed that she is pregnant, or to be involved in her pregnancy. It’s up to the woman whether to tell him.
Keeping the Baby
If you are thinking about keeping the baby, ask yourself these key questions:
- Is anybody putting pressure on me to have the baby?
- Who can give me information, help and support?
- How will I feel becoming a mother in a few months time? Is motherhood a good option for me right now? What does my partner think about us keeping the baby?
- If the baby’s father and my family don’t want to be involved, how will I feel bringing up the baby on my own? How will I feel when the baby grows into a demanding toddler?
- What impact will the baby have on my education or training opportunities, my social life and keeping in touch with my friends?
- Do I think I will have any regrets later: next month, next year, in five years?
Keeping the baby: What happens next?
A Doctor and / or Midwife will make arrangements for the baby’s birth and explain how to take care of the woman’s health while she is pregnant. It is important to go for antenatal care regularly from the start of the pregnancy, for the woman’s own health, and that of her baby.
The midwife can offer additional support. For teenage mums, some areas have a specialist Teenage Pregnancy Midwife who will be able to provide additional support. (Contact Brighton’s Teenage Pregnancy Midwife on 07876357443 Monday-Thursday 9am-5pm)
If the mother has to bring up the baby on her own, social services can put her in touch with support and help. They can give advice on benefits, housing and other sources of support, including special supported housing schemes.
The Child Support Agency will want to know the name of the child’s father to make sure that he contributes to the cost of the child’s care.
Having an abortion
If you are thinking about having an abortion to terminate the pregnancy, ask yourself these key questions:
- Is anybody putting pressure on me to have an abortion?
- Who can give me information, help and support?
- If you are thinking about requesting an abortion, ask yourself is this what I really want?
- Does abortion fit in with my personal beliefs, religion and culture?
- What are my partner’s views on abortion?
- Do I think I will have any regrets later: next month, next year, in five years?
Requesting an abortion, what happens next?
If the decision to have an abortion is made, arrangements need be organised as soon as possible.
Contact needs to be made with the woman’s GP or local Family Planning Clinic. A doctor will do an examination to confirm the pregnancy, and to work out how many weeks pregnant the woman is. The doctor will discuss the effect having a baby would have on the woman’s life. If the doctor agrees that the reasons for wanting an abortion are within the law, he or she will sign a certificate and send the woman to another doctor for a second opinion. The law states that two doctors must agree that an abortion would cause less damage to a woman’s physical or mental health than continuing with the pregnancy. Most doctors feel that the distress of having to continue with an unwanted pregnancy is likely to be harmful to a woman’s health.
If a doctor does not believe in abortion, they can refuse to help but should always refer to another doctor who will help.
An abortion can be carried out as soon as a woman knows she is pregnant. Abortion up to about 12 weeks of pregnancy is a relatively simple and safe procedure but after this it becomes more complicated. Also doctors may be less willing to carry out an abortion after 12 weeks and only in exceptional circumstances after 24 weeks of pregnancy.
Waiting times for abortions vary according to where you live. As a minimum standard, it should not be more than three weeks from the first contact with the GP or clinic to the time of the abortion.
Abortions are carried out in either NHS hospitals or specialist clinics that are licensed and approved. Usually, early abortion is a day-care procedure that does not involve an overnight stay.
A girl under 16 may give her own consent for an abortion, if she can show she understands what is involved, although the doctor will strongly encourage her to involve her parents.
Having the baby adopted
If you are thinking about adoption ask yourself these key questions:
- Is anybody putting pressure on me to have the baby adopted?
- Who can give me information, help and support?
- How will I feel going through the pregnancy and childbirth, and then giving the baby up for adoption?
- Is adoption really the best option for me?
- What are my partner’s views on adoption?
- Do I think I will have any regrets later: next month, next year, in five years?
Requesting Adoption, what happens next?
If the decision is made to adopt, arrangements need to be made for antenatal care as soon as possible, for the woman’s own health and for the health of her baby.
If the baby is adopted then the adopted parents legally become the parents of the child. Once the baby is legally adopted, the woman is not able to have change her mind and have the baby back.
Social Services can give advice on benefits and other help or support which may be needed during pregnancy. They can also refer the woman to an adoption agency.
If the woman has strong feelings about the sort of family she would like to adopt the child, these can be discussed with the adoption agency. Wherever possible, they will try to meet the wishes of the woman.
The father can be involved, but the identity of the father does not have to be given.
If the woman decides to change her mind and keep the baby once it has been born, there will be no pressure on the woman to give the baby up for adoption.
The adoption becomes legal when the child has been with its adoptive parents for a while and the adoption has been agreed in court. The woman will be asked to sign a document agreeing to the adoption officially. This can be as soon as a few weeks after the birth or later, if more time is needed to decide.
Young people who have been adopted have the right to seek their birth parents when they are 18 years old.
Further Information and Local Services:
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Morley Street Family Planning Clinic, Brighton. Tel: 242091
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Teenage Pregnancy Midwife in Brighton and Hove: Monday to Thursday 9am – 5pm: Tel: 07876357443.
- British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) Helpline: 08457 30 40 30 or website: http://www.bpas.org/
- National Childbirth Trust: Tel: 0870 444 8707 or website: http://www.nctpregnancyandbabycare.com/
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British Agency for Adoption and Fostering: Tel: 020 7593 2000
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Talk Adoption: Tel: 0808 808 1234
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National Council for One Parent Families: Tel: 0800 018 5026
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Miscarriage Association: Tel: 01924 200799
